Body garment



y 1948- i M. c. FRIDOLPH 2,445,322

BODY GARMENT Filed May 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. Mayo e c: fr'v'oa/a/r Affarney;

BY v July 20, 1948. M; c. FRIDOLPH BODY GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed lay 26, 1945 1 IN V EN TOR. Mal/a c: Maw/I Arramvn Psama July 20, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QCIaims. 1

This invention relates to a body garment and has particularly to do with a hip encircling garment commonly called a girdle.

In order to give a smooth line across the abdomen and to control firmly the thigh and buttook muscles, a corset, girdle or one piece garment must be relatively snug throughout. Firm support and snug tensioncan be and is maintained in such garments from waist line down to hip joint or approximately the point across the widest part of the hips without discomfort to the wearer. But the necessary tension which must be maintained below these points automatically restricts the stride of the wearer when walking and also causes the garment to cut into the thighs when the wearer is seated. This is probably due to the fact that the circumferential distance of the lower edge is less than the circumferential distance at the center part and cannot, therefore; expand sufllciently to be comfortable when the wearer walks or sits. n the other hand if the lower circumferential distance is increased the garment would then not give the necessary support and would also slide upwardly on the body.

Certain eflorts have been made to relieve this tension by providing two-way stretch garments, elastic gores, providing all rubber garments, etc. But, this has not been a satisfactory solution tothe problem.

It is an object of the present invention toprovide a' construction and design which, while furnishing the necessary snug fit and firm support,' nevertheless relieves the tension along the lower edge of the garment particularly in walking and sitting. In effect the circumferential distance at the edges of the girdle is increased without relaxing the support or molding qualities of the garment. Other objects of the invention include a basic panel design which will release tension without losing the necessary support at any point where snug fit and/or freedom of action is desired.

Other objects and features of the invention having to do with details of construction and the relationship of the parts of the garment, will be evident in the following description and- Fig. 3 is a front view of one version of thegarment as it is worn.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, portions of the front panel opened to show the construction;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the garment illustrating the manner in which the rear panel could be modified without altering the function.

Fig. 6 is a side view ofthe garment as it appears on the body.

Basically the garment as illustrated in the drawings consists of double front panel, a double back panel and connecting side panels which have circumferential elasticity at least in the lower portion. In Fig. 2 the front panel is shown at H), the rear panel at H and the side panels at l2 and I3. Side panels may be single pieces of fabric but preferably have a circumferential elastic portion II which may be two-way or single stretch material. If desired the entire side panel may be of one-way or two-way stretch material.

The front panel consists of two identical pieces II and i8 which are reversed and" placed in overlying relation and sewn together at the edges i1, i8 and I9. At the ed e I8 the two front panels are connected to the side panel l2. The weave lines of the panels l5 and I6 are-disposed at an angle to horizontal and to each other so that they cross as shown by the arrows on Figs. 2 and 3. The lower edges 20 and 2| are substantially parallel with the weave lines and each angles upwardly to the points a: and 11. These edges20 and 2i overlie each other freely without connection.

The back panel ii is composed of this double construction with panels and 26 connected to the side panels at 21 and 28 and connected together at 29. Edges 30 and 3|, parallel to the weave lines of the respective panels, are disposed in angular relation to the edge of the garment and to each other. Suitable hooks on edge 19 cooperate with eyes 36 on the strip 31 to provide an opening seam for the garment; the garment may also be hooked part way or made as a step-in without any side opening.

The points a: and 1 shown on the drawings correspond approximately to the trochanter region of the femur bone. Ignoring the back panel construction for the moment, the garment may be considered a double ended piece with panels I! and I6 comprising the ends. The rear portion encircles the body with the lines of the garment substantially horizontal, one across the sacroilium region of the back at the top and one below the buttocks at the bottom. The garment then sweeps around the body in a sling-like fashion with the lower edges sweeping upwardwhen the wearer is walking or exercising and re-v leases the tension when the wearer sits. In addition the upward lift of the garment to the points a: and 11 cooperate with the elastic portions I4, provides a firm support for each buttock and a cradle-like support for the abdomen with a, comfortable lift to the pelvic organs. The overlapping of edges 20 and 2| lying between points GK and FY in crossing each other at the point to prevent the garment from rolling upward because of the division of force and the overlapping relation.

The construction of the back panel II is also calculated to relieve certain strains and tension that develop at the sacro-ilium region and to give in some measure the exact effect on the back that it performs in the front.

In Fig. a. modification of this back panel H is composed of a single fabric piece 45 having an angularly disposed edge 4-5 connected at R to the seam 41. The other side, panel I3, is connected to seam 48 by a strip 50 extending from the point 5| to the point S on seam 48 along the edge 52. The weave lines of piece 50 are parallel to the edge 52 as are the weave lines 01 piece 45 of weave lines parallel to 46.

In Figs. 3and 4 garters are shown attached to points F and G. As shown in the drawings the portions XE and YG or edges i8 and I9 respectively are curved along the natural hip curve to the bottom of the sling-like construction. In such curve the portions XEand YG of edges l8 and I9 respectively, lie substantially at right angles to edges 20 and 2| lying between points FY and GK. The tension is thus transferred evenly over the garment at these points. The fastening of garters at points F and G simply aids the sling action without destroying the limb freedom at the front of the garment.

What I claim is:

l. A girdle comprising a multiple-panel body encircling construction, having side panels formed at least in part of elastic material, and front and back panels each comprising two nonelastic fabric pieces narrowed progressively from one side to the other and arranged each with one free edge and weave lines disposed in unconnected relation at an angle to the other, the angled free edges of the front fabric pieces being at the lower portion of the garment at the pubic region of the body and the angled free edges of the back panel being at the top of the garment at the sacroilium region of the body, the side edges being connected together and to the side panels.

2. A body confining garment to be located at the hip region which comprises encircling portions having circumferential elasticity below the widest portion of the hips and overlapping unconnected panel portions at the front of the garmen-t disposed in angular relation at one edge at least, the crossed edges of the panel portions being anchored at points inside the normal boundary of the garment, the side contours of the crossed, overlapping panel portions approximating the natural hip curve from the widest portion to the bottom edge of the panel portions.

3. A body confining garment to be locat d a 4 the hip region which comprises encircling portions having circumferential elasticity below the widest portion of the hips and overlapping unconnected panel portions at the front of the garment disposed in angular relation t one edge at least, the crossed edges of the panel portions being anchored at points inside the normal boundary of the garment, the side contours of the crossed,

overlapping panel portions approximating the naturalhip curve from the widest portion to the bottom edge of the panel portions, and garters fastened at the lowest point of such side contours of the front panel portions.

4. A body confining garment to be located at the hip region which comprises body encircling portions, the lower edges of which are substantially horizontally disposed below the buttocks at the back and sides, and overlapping at the front, the lower edge of each overlapping front portion crossing the pelvic region at a rising angle and extending substantially perpendicular from the natural hip curve at the lower portion of the garment to the trochanter region on the opposite side. r

5. A girdle comprising a multiple-panel body encircling construction having a back panel encircling the buttocks, side panels stretchable in at least that portion below the hips, said side and back panels having lower edges substantially horizontal when on the wearer, a front panel with side contours approximating the natural hip curve extending outwardly to the trochanter region at its widest section and composed of two overlapping fabric pieces having lower edges rising from the lower edges of the side panels sub-- stantially perpendicular to the lower ends of the side contours of the front panel and extending susbtantially to the region of the trochanter of the femur bone on the opposite sides.

6. A girdle comprising amultiple panel body encircling construction, a front panel being composed of two thicknesses of nonelastic fabric having side contours approximating the hip curve and extending to the trochanter region at its widest section, side panels stretchable in at least that portion below the widest part of the body, one of said side panels having a front side edge substantially straight when unasscmbled and conforming to the natural hip curve when the garment is assembled and positioned on the body.

7. A girdle of the multiple panel body encircling type comprising a front panel comprising two thicknesses of nonelastic fabric having side contours the lower ends of which approximate the hip curve, side panels at least a portion of front panel adjacent the trochanter of the femur.

bone, whereby a hammock-like support is provided for each buttock, the fulcrum of said supports being at the trochanter region opposite the buttock supported.

8. A body confining garment to be located at the hip region which comprises encircling por-.

tions having upper edges substantially in a ho'rizontal plane above the hips when on the wearer and overlapping on the abdominal region, the

lower edge of the garment being substantially horizontally disposed below the buttocks at the back and sides overlapping freely at the front, the lower edge of each freely overlapping front portion crossing the pelvic region in a rising angle to an anchoring point on the other overlapping portion approximately at the trochanters of femur bone.

9. A body confining garment to be located at the hip region, comprising a back portion having a lower edge disposed below the buttocks when on the wearer, side portions having lower edges substantially extensive with the lower edge of the back portion and a front portion comprising overlapping pieces of material adapted when on the wearer to pull up against the side portions at an upwardly inclined angle across the lower part of the abdomen, the lower edges of the overlapping pieces of material extending respectively from the lower edges of the side portions upwardly and being connected to the opposite side portion at points adjacent the trochanters of the femur bone whereby to form two independent hammock ends anchored at approximately the trochanters of the femur bone and extending across each REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

/ UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,281,538 Dupuy Oct. 15, 1918 1,288,927 Kops Dec. 24, 1918 1,524,433 Gustshow Jan. 27, 1925 1,584,434 Colley May 11, 1926 1,612,067 Shepard Dec. 28, 1926 1,847,681 Tibbits Mar. 1, 1932 1,927,357 Borneman Sept. 19. 1933 2,351,296 Schubert. June 13. 1944 2,397,211 Schubert Mar. 26, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 617,307 France Feb. 17, 1927 

